Time of ConcentrationWhy the worst storm is the one that fits.Civil EngineeringThe critical storm lasts as long as water takes toreach the outlet from the furthest point of thecatchment.tc = overland flow time + channel timeSteep, paved, smalltc a few minutesSharp peak.Flat, vegetated, largetc over an hourFlattened peak.Storm shorter than tcNot all area drainsLower peak.THE COMMON MISTAKE✗ Picking the heaviest short burst✓ Match duration to tcA five-minute cloudburst is intense but never has the whole catchmentcontributing at once. The critical storm lasts about as long as tc.Educational reference. Empirical tc formulae are calibrated regionally.Use the one your design standard names.Time of Concentrationlearnposters.com
Time of Concentration — printable engineering wall chart from LearnPosters. Free vector PDF, US Letter and A4.

What’s on the Time of Concentration poster

The rule, 3 worked examples, and the mistake everyone makes.

Educational reference. Empirical tc formulae are calibrated regionally. Use the one your design standard names.

Questions about the Time of Concentration poster

What’s on the Time of Concentration poster?
The rule, 3 worked examples, and the mistake everyone makes. The critical storm lasts as long as water takes to reach the outlet from the furthest…; tc = overland flow time + channel time; Steep, paved, small = tc a few minutes; Flat, vegetated, large = tc over an hour; Storm shorter than tc = Not all area drains; Common mistake: Picking the heaviest short burst → Match duration to tc. Educational reference. Empirical tc formulae are calibrated regionally. Use the one your design standard names.
Who is the Time of Concentration poster for?
Time of Concentration belongs to the Civil Engineering section rather than to a school year, because engineering is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning water resources can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
When should you use the Time of Concentration poster?
Choosing the design storm duration for a catchment. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so Time of Concentration belongs on the wall where that engineering work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
What other posters go with Time of Concentration?
Culvert Design, Continuity & Energy and Groundwater & Wells sit alongside Time of Concentration in the Civil Engineering section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.Culvert DesignContinuity & EnergyGroundwater & Wells
Is the Time of Concentration poster free to download and print?
Yes. Time of Concentration downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Civil Engineering section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
What size does the Time of Concentration poster print at?
Time of Concentration is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of Time of Concentration loses nothing.Printing guide

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